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MOSTMAGAZINEI also had a couple of uncomfortable run-ins with fans who tracked down my dental practice, ultimately threatening my staff%u2019s safety.It got to the point where I had to be real with myself and step away from dentistry%u2026 for now! I still help out when needed and when I can, but I won%u2019t be practicing full-time for the foreseeable future. One day, I hope to open my own practice, though%u2014so stay tuned!Q: YOU%u2019VE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST FEMALE TO MAIN EVENT ALL THREE OF AEW%u2019S NETWORK TV SHOWS. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE, AND DO YOU FEEL THE LANDSCAPE FOR WOMEN IN WRESTLING IS EVOLVING? A: Anytime you%u2019re the first to do something, it%u2019s special because no one can take that away from you. It%u2019s inked in the history books forever. Of course, it%u2019s special to be featured in the first female main events, but it%u2019s even more special that my boss and the network trusted me with such a delicate and high-pressure task not once, but three different times. I%u2019m really big on proving myself and my worth, so being put in a sink or swim position is where I feel I almost always shine brightest. If I don%u2019t, then I most certainly came away from the situation with more knowledge and experience on how to be better next time. It%u2019s those situations where you always learn and grow the most. Q: ACTING HAS ALSO BECOME PART OF YOUR CAREER, WITH ROLES IN COBRA KAI AND AEW%u2019S ALL ACCESS SERIES. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF TAKING ON MORE ACTING ROLES IN THE FUTURE? A: I think people really underestimate how much acting goes into great professional wrestling performances both in and out of the ring. We are playing a character and sometimes are forced to fully embody that character even when we aren%u2019t in a wrestling arena. The best stories are ones that you really get lost in and can%u2019t differentiate between what%u2019s real and what%u2019s just really good acting. That%u2019s a concept I didn%u2019t truly understand until I was injured with a broken leg and broken nose and couldn%u2019t rely on my physical abilities anymore to tell a story. I took as many acting classes as I could to get good on the mic and at promos. To this day, I love taking acting workshops. It%u2019s so surreal and so much fun to get lost in a character that is so different from who you truly are as a person, but to still be able to find ways to incorporate elements of your true self into that character. I%u2019d love any and all opportunities to continue acting both in and out of wrestling.Q: YOU%u2019VE MADE WAVES IN POP CULTURE BEYOND WRESTLING, ATTENDING MAJOR EVENTS AND APPEARING ON NATIONAL TV. WHAT%u2019S BEEN ONE OF YOUR MOST SURREAL OR %u201cPINCH ME%u201d MOMENTS? A: Anytime I get to take it back to my roots in Pennsylvania. I grew up in Punxsutawney, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. I grew up a huge Pittsburgh sports fan. When I got to defend my women%u2019s world championship title in Pittsburgh on the first-ever episode of AEW Rampage, that was a pinch-me moment for sure. How crazy that my whole life I was always buying tickets to see my favorite athletes in this city, and now people are paying to see me? Not only that, but I wrestled in the building directly beside my old dental school that I spent countless hours and sleepless nights studying in, wondering how insane I must actually be to think I can somehow do this dental thing and be a pro wrestler? InstagramIG: @realbrittbakerMOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 77 33